Once myths get started, they're hard to stop.
"Once rumor mills get going, it's really difficult, even if it's easily proven to be true," said Jane Phillips, who will teach an urban legends class in the spring.
A lot of suicide myths relate to the stigma about asking for help and having people perceive you as crazy in some way, said Molly McCoy-Brack, director of the Agora Crisis Center.
"There's no way to really tell how they started," she said.
Myth: Most suicides occur in the winter months.
According to the American Association of Suicidiology, more than 30,000 people kill themselves each year. Most of those deaths occur in the spring.
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"People can get the blues anytime," said Carol Wagner-Adams, director of Counseling and Therapy Services.
But just because people appear depressed does not mean they are suicidal, she said, and those individuals should not be treated the same way.
"You focus right on the behavior that threatens the safety of the person," Wagner-Adams said.
Myth: Every death is preventable.
If someone is really intent on committing suicide, Wagner-Adams said, he or she can hide all the signs. Those closest to the individual may be the ones who can tell if behavior has changed, but not always.
Myth: Those who talk about suicide never attempt or complete it.
Usually people who are thinking about killing themselves give cues, Wagner-Adams said. Even if suggested humorously, she said, every word should be taken seriously.
"If you care about this person, then it's important to ask them, 'It sounds like you're really down or it sounds like you're struggling now. Is there anything I can do to be helpful or supportive?'" Wagner-Adams said.
Myth: After an initial suicide attempt, there will be no further attempts.
"Not true," Wagner-Adams said.
A red flag goes up for professionals if someone has already attempted suicide, she said. The risk goes up when an individual has planned how they will kill themselves or if they come from a family with a history of suicide.
Myth: Those who contemplate suicide are angry when someone intervenes.
"This may be true, but I always say if we have somebody we think their safety is on the line, I would rather have them be angry with me and have them be alive," Wagner-Adams said.
She said it's hard for people to move toward conflict, but if you care about somebody, you do whatever you can to keep that person safe until he or she is in a different psychological place.
Myth: Professionals serve as the only effective means of intervention for suicide.
Family members or friends should not dismiss signs of suicide, Wagner Adams said. Whoever notices a change in an individual's behavior should ask if everything is OK, how she or he is feeling and so on, she said. If one's concern is not helping, it might be time to seek professional help. But if someone cares, the suicidal individual is usually looking for help, just not in a direct way, she said.
Other suicide myths can be checked online or through Agora or Counseling and Therapy Services.
Help hotlines
National suicide hotline
1-800-SUICIDE
Agora Crisis Center
277-3013
agora@unm.edu
UNM Counseling and Therapy Services
277-4537
UNM Psychiatric Center
by referral:
272-4763
